


Windows to the Soul

by Swordy



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Blind Ignis, Canon Disabled Character, Chill XV, Fluff, M/M, Post-Game(s), World of Ruin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-11
Updated: 2017-11-11
Packaged: 2019-02-01 01:26:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12694188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Swordy/pseuds/Swordy
Summary: “Your eye,” Gladio says softly. “I was looking at you and thinking about your eye.”Gladio ponders why Ignis keeps his 'good' eye closed years after the injury has healed.





	Windows to the Soul

**Author's Note:**

> Because I get weirdly obsessed by the smallest details, I was intrigued by why, after Altissia, Ignis keeps his non-scarred eye closed for so long, but at some point in the ten years Noct is gone, he starts opening it again. Of _course_ it had to be Gladio's doing.
> 
> Thank you to all the usual Chill peeps for all your cheerleading. I love you guys! <3

“What is it?” Ignis says, long slender fingers cradling his wine glass, his expression cautiously neutral. They're back in Lestallum following a hunt and have vowed they're going to spend the next few days having some down time. How long that lasts is anyone's guess. The hunt paid well though, so they're celebrating their success with a meal in one of the few restaurants still open.

For a moment Gladio doesn't answer. It still amazes him how Ignis can know that he's the subject of scrutiny without sight. Then again, should anything really amaze him about Ignis anymore? He's just spent the last two weeks out there in the chaos with him, taking down pack after pack of hobgoblins, the other man fighting with a fluidity that seemingly belies his blindness. The man is a wonder - an unyielding force, a pillar of quiet, dignified strength wrapped up in a package that Gladio knows he'll never grow tired of looking at. As he's doing now.

He's hesitant to answer Ignis’s question though. What he’s thinking about feels too personal and serious for the moment. There aren't a lot of high points in this world of endless darkness, but when they happen - like this rare slice of normality - they need grabbing with both hands, not burying beneath more doom and gloom.

“Gladio?” Ignis says dryly. A smile plays at his lips. “I can hear you thinking.”

He makes a non-committal noise. It's too late to steer the conversation away from what's on his mind, and Ignis, with his razor-sharp perceptiveness, will instantly see through any attempt to prevaricate.

“Your eye,” Gladio says softly. “I was looking at you and thinking about your eye.”

He instantly regrets his words, and their clumsy delivery. Ignis is still smiling, but behind his visor, his eyebrows twitch into a slight frown that steals the sincerity from his expression. He reaches across the table and takes Ignis’s free hand. _Gods_ , even the man’s hands are beautiful. He studies it for a moment, lost in the memory of watching those long fingers fly across the keys of Regis’s piano, bringing the music they loved to life in a way he'd never heard before or since. The look Ignis would give him as he played a tune that held a secret meaning, just between them. Memories of another life.

“I… I was thinkin’ about why you don't open it.”

Ignis’s expression flickers again; his smile is trying to keep things light, but the words are resonating with him in a way he can't fully disguise. When he doesn't immediately respond, Gladio dives back in, hopefully not digging himself into an even deeper hole.

“I guess… I guess I was just wonderin’ why you always keep it closed. Is it still painful?”

Ignis shakes his head, before inclining it downwards. With vision, this would be him looking away, a surefire indicator that the conversation is a difficult one for him. It's hard to work out whether the same rules still apply when both eyes are firmly closed.

“I'm sorry,” he says, “I didn't mean to upset you, Iggy.”

This apparently brings Ignis to life and he raises his head suddenly. Those long fingers squeeze his own hand.

“No, no, that's not the case at all, Gladio. In truth, I was considering the question because I truly don't know. It's honestly not a decision I was conscious of making.”

Gladio waits. After a moment, Ignis sighs and the smile returns, albeit somewhat abashed.

“Although I have never considered myself a vain man, some might consider it a blessing that I've never actually had to _see_ the injuries I sustained, but from touch alone, I can imagine that they're not pleasant. Since I have no vision in my right eye, I can only assume it also appears damaged in some way, so I suppose if I had to pin down a reason as to why I keep it closed, I would say it’s simply an attempt to spare people further discomfort when they look at me.”

Involuntarily, he makes an unhappy noise in the back of his throat. He should have known the reason would relate to Ignis putting others before himself. The part of him that loves and is fiercely protective of this man wants to lie and say no one ever looks at his face with disgust or pity or fear, but he's seen people’s expressions over the years, the looks and stares that make him want to punch things.

“Well you need to stop,” he answers hoarsely. He studies Ignis’s face, at a loss how he can convey to the other man that he finds him even more beautiful with his life’s journey mapped on his face. “I think you should keep it open. To hell with what other people think.”

“Why does it matter so much?” Ignis asks softly.

Leaning across the table now, he reaches up and cups the other man’s face, stroking his cheek tenderly. Ignis leans into his touch.

“Because one day, we’re gonna get married, and when we do, I wanna look you in the eye when I make those vows.”

Ignis inhales sharply, his expression suddenly uncertain. Maybe he thinks he hasn't heard Gladio correctly, or he's misinterpreted the message. Or maybe the prospect of what Gladio’s just said is unwanted or too overwhelming. Maybe he should have just kept his big mouth shut and-

“Gladiolus… are you asking me to marry you?”

He breathes and nods, even though Ignis can't see it. “If you'll have me.”

He holds his breath, waiting for an answer to a question he hadn't known he was going to ask when this conversation started. Now however, it's the most important question in the world. He's studying Ignis’s face for hints - good or bad - about what his answer might be, when slowly, hesitantly, Ignis opens his right eye. The pupil is cloudy and the gaze is off, but it's still the most beautiful thing he's seen in a long time. Ignis blinks a couple of times and smiles.

“I would be delighted to accept your proposal, Gladio. I'd consider it my honour to be joined in holy matrimony with you.”

Trust Ignis to use so many words when one - a simple _yes_ \- would suffice. He brings their faces together so their foreheads are touching. Ignis reaches up, fingers deftly searching for the grin that splits his face, and then laughs, delighted, when he finds it. It's a wonderful sound, rich and warm and, in that moment, it's a more than adequate replacement for the sun that no longer shines.

“The honour is all mine, Iggy,” he replies as Ignis’s fingers rest against his face. “Although now I feel like I shoulda gotten down on one knee to ask you.”

Ignis cocks his head to one side, amused. “You could have told me you did. It's not like I'd have known any different.”

“Hey, honesty is important in a relationship.”

“Undoubtedly,” Ignis agrees. “Which is why I'm glad you told me what was on your mind when I asked. With that in mind, I will endeavour to start keeping my eye open, in practice for the Big Day.”

“Sounds good to me, Iggy,” he says, studying that cloudy gaze and experiencing the same rush of attraction he'd felt as a teenager when he'd first looked into those brilliant green eyes and realised that his feelings for Noct’s advisor burned with an intensity worthy of the Infernian himself.

And he vows to himself that he'll never stop showing the other man his love and devotion, because even blind, Ignis can see exactly what's in his heart.

 

**End**

 

 


End file.
